NEWS: In 2017, we will not be available to conduct tours at the following times:

July 1-3, August 20-23, October 20-23, December 2-10

The food available in Hanoi's narrow alleys and tree-lined boulevards is just as much a part of the city as its lakes and old world architecture. In fact, all of these elements combine with the indomitable spirit of the Vietnamese people to produce a lively culinary scene that is both diverse and confronting.

Over the past twelve years, 'the god' (Van Cong Tu, author of the blog 'Vietnamese God') and 'Sticky' (Mark Lowerson, author of the blog Stickyrice) have been traversing the streets of Vietnam's capital, as well as cutting a wider arc through other regions of Vietnam and beyond, wolfing down between us virtually everything on offer.

Tu is an accredited tour guide with more than 17 years experience in the tourism and hospitality industry. He is an expert on the cuisine of the south-central coast, having grown up in Nha Trang and frequent visits to Ho Chi Minh City and Phu Quoc Island make him very well-versed in what people are feeding their faces with in the south, too. But Hanoi is where he dwells and its chaotic web of lanes and alleys are where he eats most. Tu knows the market vendors and they like him.

We specialise in Vietnam's streetfood and wet markets and have recently designed a series of itineraries for travellers and food enthusiaists. These tours have been carefully planned to give visitors to Vietnam an authentic taste of a country very attuned to the rhythms of food through the day and through the seasons. Together, we visit the street stalls and markets, sampling the produce and eating from their dishes and bowls, as well as cooking with the ingredients at home.Our tours range from three hour morning, afternoon or evening walks to a full-day eat-a-thon. The most popular tour is the 3 hour (8.30am-11.30pm) morning tour which typically includes a street market walk (with ongoing explanations of food practices, strange food items, some delicacies), a visit to ceremonial cake stalls, a special French dessert, the food sections of Hanoi's main Dong Xuan market, a streetfood alley for a noodle lunch, fruit stalls and coffee at an historic old quarter cafe.

A full day (9am-3pm) itinerary for foodie tragics (including more market visits and more street snacks and drinks) is also available. It encompasses a deeper look at ingredients and is ideal for those in the food industry, whether they be chefs, food writers, indeed anyone with an enthusiasm for food, whether it be in the eating or the cooking! All tours are inclusive of all food/drinks and are conducted entirely on foot after Tu meets and greets at the hotel.

Friday, 13 June 2014

When it's hot, we drink...

The beginning of Hanoi's 2014 summer has been brutal. The first heat
wave of May has continued now for a few weeks, with high temperatures
combining with high humidity to sap the energy out of even the most
heat-hardened of the population.

But we must soldier on through it for now. The rains will come and we will get used to it to an extent. And we will keep our clients well hydrated as we amble slowly - in the shade - from one Hanoi street food table to the next. If appetites for food are down, we will down more drinks.

Hot coffee? No - we recommend it with ice. Truth be told, Vietnam's climate - apart from a few months of cool weather in the north - means that the locals, almost without exception, are taking their caffeine with ice as a matter of course. When Hanoi coffee houses brew their coffee, it is cooled to room temperature and, if a customer does want it hot, a portion is heated to a simmer in a little saucepan.

On the subject of ice, many of our clients express concern about consuming ice in Vietnam, afraid that it may make them sick. These days, even street food eateries are ordering safe factory manufactured ice rather than bothering with the process of boiling water and freezing it. From time to time, ice may be handled in a dubious manner but in general, at street eateries with little or no refrigeration, if one wants a cold drink, ice it must be.

Even in beer at such eateries, ice is required. Though this may go against the grain for many beer drinkers, the practice has the added benefit of providing hydration to an alcoholic drink that typically dehydrates. Hanoi's other beer culture, bia hoi (or fresh draught beer), is pulled from lengths of hose attached to kegs packed in layers of insulation and dry ice or stored in refrigerated metal cabinets. A couple of tumblers of this preservative-free, low alcohol beer is almost compulsory drinking, particularly on our evening tours. Though, in Hanoi, there is no stigma attached to drinking at any time of the day.

There are soft options, of course. We carry water throughout our tours and though it may not be cold after the first five minutes in the current weather, it is wet. We eschew manufactured soft drinks in preference to those made in the city's tea and coffee houses. Would you prefer a Fanta or a freshly made long glass of passion fruit juice? A Sprite or green tea, sweetened with sugar, soured with lime, cooled with ice?

Quenching a thirst and keeping liquids up to our clients is just as much a priority in the Hanoi summer as feeding them.

31 comments:

Grrroooowl! That's exactly what our bellies said after reading Tu & Mark's blogs, so really, that was that. We weren't about to argue -the belly knows best and so do Tu & Mark. A 3hr tour wasn't enough, we're cooks, foodies foremost, street food and life is why we travelled to Hanoi, so we delved into the full day tour as well. Tu & Mark bring their blog adventures to life -there is nothing better then to experience it yourself - and boy did we!! We fell in love with the food, markets, street life and Hanoians -it's hard not to. Tu & Mark know Hanoi, they have picked a selection of the best -in what can be an overwhelming array of street food vendors. We can't thank Tu & Mark enough for this experience -Highly recommended!!! Một, hai, ba, dô! Satu & Jarrad

Had a brilliant lunch time tour day with Tu round the streets of Hanoi - he showed us not just great food, brilliant coffee, weird beer toppings redeemed by great rum combinations but also how best to sit on tiny stools and the best way to cross the road. Definitely recommend!

urlaub toskana ferienhausIt is important to recycle materials. So that we can keep our earth pretty happy and eco friendly! Some people do not expect this in their newly brought ones. The truth is that, these items will be as good as

First Trip to wonderful Vietnam ! A fantastic food tour with Tu, sampling the tasty street food in Hanoi, whilst equally enjoying the conversation with Tu. This was only the beginning of a holiday of a lifetime in a fantastic country with the friendliest most welcoming, hardworking people I have ever met. Back in London and already checking out all the Vietnamese restaurants in East London ! ( not quite the same, but we miss you Vietnam ! ) E and P

Mandalay is one of the tourist attractions Myanmar. It takes you only 30 minutes to fly from Bagan. This a chaos city, however when you leave the downtown and come to archaeological structures, you will have a different feeling of this city. Mandalay will make you satisfy with enormous beauty, the city used to be the former capital of the Golden-Paya nation. Visit Mandalay, don't forget to drop by Ubein bridge. This is the longest wooden bridge in the world. The sight of the bridge looks like an oil painting at the sunset. That would be very romantic for you to travel along the river while seeing the sunset at the Ubein.

Nice blog,thanks for sharing the information, we are the best tourist guide agency in bangalore,we give the best knowledgeable tour guide service for you,we make your place visit most memorable movements in your holidays.

About Me

Van Cong Tu is a food blogger and local hospitality industry insider from Nha Trang currently living in Hanoi. He has an enormous passion for his country's food and culture. Tu's blog, cheekily named Vietnamese God, is where he started to document his food and culture adventures in 2005. Tu's quirky observations also found their way into Pathfinder magazine and Vietnam's TimeOut. Tu's experience managing some of Hanoi's finest dining establishments along with his special interest in street-food (he's shared many hours trawling the street stalls and markets with stickyrice blogger, Mark Lowerson) make him the genuine, local authority on Hanoi's food scene.